Long-lived people may have a unique genetic makeup that makes them more resistant than the general population to prevalent age-related diseases; however, not much is known about genes involved in the longevity. To identify susceptibility variants controlling longevity, we performed a high-throughput candidate gene study using 137 Koreans over 90 yr old and 213 young healthy Koreans. We evaluated 463 informative markers located in 176 candidate genes mostly for diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer under five genetic models. We estimated the odds ratios for each allele, genotype, haplotype, and gene-gene interaction using logistic regression analysis. Associations between 13 genes and longevity were detected at a P-value less than 0.01. Particularly, the rs671 (A) allele of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family (mitochondrial) (ALDH2) gene was associated with longevity only in men (OR 2.11, P = 0.008). Four genes, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1, P = 0.008), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, P = 0.003), paired box 4 (PAX4, P = 0.008), and V-yes-1 Yamaguchi sarcoma viral related oncogene homolog (LYN, P = 0.002) consistently yielded statistical evidence for association with longevity. The findings of the current study may provide a starting point for future studies to unravel genetic factors controlling longevity in Koreans.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase/genetics ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology/genetics ; Cardiovascular Diseases/ethnology/*genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus/ethnology/*genetics ; Female ; Genetic Markers/genetics ; Haplotypes ; Homeodomain Proteins/genetics ; Humans ; Korea ; Longevity/*genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/ethnology/*genetics ; Paired Box Transcription Factors/genetics ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Proprotein Convertase 1/genetics ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/genetics ; Sex Factors ; src-Family Kinases/genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the cumulative effect regarding the family history of cardiovascular disease and smoking on ischemic stroke events in population with Mongolian ethnicity.

METHODSBased on data gathered from the baseline investigation, a 10-year prospective cohort follow-up project was conducted among 2 589 participants with Mongolian ethnicity. Ischemic stroke events were defined as the outcomes of the study. All the 2 589 participants were categorized into four subgroups: without family history of cardiovascular disease/nonsmokers, without family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers, with family history of cardiovascular disease/nonsmokers and with family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers, according to family history of cardiovascular disease and smoking status. Cumlative incidence rates of events among the four subgroups was described with Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of ischemic stroke events among the four subgroups.

RESULTSData from the Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the cumulative incidence rates of ischemic stroke were 1.17% (15/1 278), 3.83% (37/967), 5.70% (9/158) and 8.33% (15/180) for the groups of no family history of cardiovascular disease/nonsmokers, no family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers, with family history of cardiovascular disease/nonsmokers and with family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers, respectively. By cox proportional hazards model, after adjusting for age, male, drinking status, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol factors, the HRs (95% CI) of ischemic stroke were 2.26 (1.19-4.28) and 2.45 (1.13-5.33) in the no family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers group, with family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers group when compared to the no family history of cardiovascular disease/nonsmokers group, respectively. The risk of ischemic stroke appeared the highest in the group with family history of cardiovascular disease/smokers (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSmoking may increase the risk of ischemic stroke events among the population with family history of cardiovascular disease.

Alcohol Drinking ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; genetics ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; ethnology ; genetics ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mongolia ; epidemiology ; Population Surveillance ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; epidemiology ; Stroke ; epidemiology ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the genetic determination of fast plasma glucose (FPG) and correlation with its potential correlated traits, anthropometric measures and blood pressure.

METHODSTwo hundred and eighteen Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pedigrees composed of 1383 Chinese Han individuals residing in the East and South-East China were analyzed. Univariate variance decomposition analyses were used to estimate the narrow-sense heritability (h(2)) of FPG, anthropometric indices and blood pressure, and bivariate quantitative genetic analyses were used to estimate the genetic and environmental correlations between FPG and anthropometric measures or blood pressure.

RESULTSWe found that FPG, blood pressure and all anthropometric indices except for waist to hip ratio were under significant genetic determination, and the h(2) was from 0.28 to 0.43. We did not find significant genetic and environmental correlation between FPG and anthropometric indices and blood pressure.

CONCLUSIONThe present study demonstrated that T2DM, obesity and hypertension were controlled by some genetic factors, and FPG shares little common genetic and environmental factors with obesity-related anthropometric indices and blood pressure in our Chinese sample population.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anthropometry ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Blood Glucose ; genetics ; Blood Pressure ; genetics ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; genetics ; Fasting ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Glucose ; genetics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; genetics ; Risk Factors ; Waist-Hip Ratio ; Young Adult